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Tiny landscapes ignite gardeners’ interest and children’s delight

Story and photos by Lisa Aurand

No matter where you live or how young (or young at heart) you are, you can grow a fairy garden.

Fairy gardens – gardens filled with miniature plants and, sometimes, pint-sized furniture or even fairy figurines – have exploded in popularity over the last decade, says Donna Baker of Baker’s Village Garden Center in Dublin.

Miniature gardens, even ones for children, have been around for years, but it’s only recently that merchandise created especially for these types of gardens has become popular. Baker’s carries several brands of fairy figurines, accessories and furniture – some of which even lights up. The most well-known figurines are Flower Fairies, based on the illustrations of British author and illustrator Cicely Mary Barker.

“(Children) get to use their imagination and express their creativity,” Baker says. “It’s a great way to get children introduced to gardening at a very young age.”

Britta McCrary of h illiard fell in love with Flower Fairies when she noticed them at a friend’s garden shop and began collecting them. When her daughter, Meghan, now 14, was about 7 years old, Meghan spent hours looking through the backyard for foliage, stones or acorns to decorate a small box that became the fairies’ home.

“she really played with (the figurines),” McCrary says. “They lost limbs and then she put them in a fairy hospital. It was a real plaything for her.”

Meghan’s interest in fairy gardens led to an interest in vegetable gardening, which has since led to her current life ambition: to be a chef.

For Dublin residents steve and rosie sundre, fairy gardening was an extension of their interest in other types of plants.

“We are gardeners and have been for a number of years, and we’re always looking for new and different ways to experience gardening,” steve says.

And the couple isn’t new to miniature plants, either. steve has been tending the bonsai tree in his kitchen for almost 10 years, but didn’t get interested in fairy gardens until three or four years ago. he loves how easy they are to tend and how versatile they are. The arrangement in a pot on his porch is frequently relocated to the dining table whenever guests come over for dinner.

“It does double duty as a centerpiece when we have company and then it goes back to the porch,” s teve says.

The gardens can be part of a larger outdoor garden or can be planted in containers. Baker suggests dwarf evergreens, Irish moss, violas, baby’s breath, succulents and miniature thyme as good selections to populate a fairy garden. Add a few accessories or create your own from found items, and your garden is ready for fairy figurines – or ethereal creatures from your own yard.

Those seeking further guidance can register for fairy garden workshops at Baker’s.

Classes are listed on the garden center’s website, www. bakersvillagegardencenter. com. prices range from $25 to $65, and registration must be paid in advance. v

Lisa Aurand

is a contributing

editor. Feedback welcome at gbishop@pubgroupltd.com.